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Schizophrenia In Hamlet

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The reason there are gaps in the Hamlet story is that Shakespeare intended Hamlet to be a high functioning autistic-schizophrenic who had envisioned the entire thing. “Schizophrenia involves a range of problems with thinking (cognition), behavior or emotions. Signs and symptoms may vary, but usually involve delusions, hallucinations or disorganized speech, and reflect an impaired ability to function.” After researching some diseases that affect men in their 30s I found that Hamlet was a candidate for high-functioning autism which would like most cases to develop into schizophrenia around his age.“O, that this too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew, Or that the Everlasting had not fixed. His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! …show more content…

They usually let him do whatever he really wants because with high functioning autism you have to be able to give them their space otherwise they get crazier ( a common belief of treatment in that era) so no one really contradicts him. What if the dialogue and events are real things that got mixed up in Hamlet's head? Treatment back then was all about giving them space because children and teens with autism withdraw big time and become really quiet and focused on things and/or depressed which explain Hamlet’s fragile nature as a teen. It wasn’t and still isn’t, uncommon for a teen suffering from these illnesses to space out for the entire day in their own little world with complete disregard to the life happening around them. What if people calling hamlet crazy was just background that infiltrated itself into his hallucination? His behavior makes sense. Evidence (mostly based on main text): disgust towards mother's sexual behavior (1, 2, 3, 5, 6), inward monologues about morality (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15), agonizing over lack of action in killing Claudius (16, 17, 20, 21), internal struggle about father's death, food - some people become obsessed with food as a symptom (Saxo - 16), attitudes toward Horatio, Ophelia, and others (18, 19, 22). Those are just a few main proofs of evidence but there are many more woven into Shakespeare’s story of Hamlet. Others …show more content…

Current readers might find it hard to believe that the entire play of Hamlet was just a fantasy but its very plausible it was considering the time discontinuations and crazy events. Elizabethans would have diagnosed Hamlet with "melancholy... characterized by depression, excessive mourning, skepticism, and a negative outlook on life” Elizabethans saw this as a result of "humor imbalance," or, in the most severe cases, demonic possession. This would be treated with leeching. Hamlet has taken his condition and turned it into advice as this is the only way to cope that he is aware of. This is how he lives his life he reveals, “Listen to many, speak to a few.” (Shakespeare) "Patients suffering from mental illness might also be beaten to try to drive the demons out of the body." Exorcism "making the person as uncomfortable as possible so the demon would no longer desire to be there"Mental hospitals: Bedlam - inhumane treatment of the mentally ill which was common. Obviously, Gertrude would want to keep Hamlet out of there, but how did royalty take care of business? By ignoring it, of course! If you pretend it doesn't exist, it will go away! This is why Hamlet is allowed to do whatever he wants (with Horatio as a reluctant

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A thing a lot of psychologist people forget that hamlet is a character acting inside the play. During the entire play it is very easily noticed when he is acting as an insane person. The way he speaks and the words he chooses is evidence towards the idea of Hamlet being sane. Most modern day men act like Hamlet when he is insane but the modern men are not always seen

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719 Words | 3 Pages

The story of Hamlet is all about his tragic journey through life. Throughout his journey he has to deal with the passing of his father and his mother's hasty remarriage to his uncle C laudius the dead king's brother. It is remarkable how one person can deal with the amount of betray he has had to deal with in his life. I can come to the conclusion that hamlet has depression, you are able to see this through his constant mood swings and lack of interaction with his family and so called friends. As a result of all the stress he is encountering he is slowly driving himself mad and many health problems can occur from this.

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645 Words | 3 Pages

One definition of madness is “mental delusion of the eccentric behavior arising from it.” However, as Emily Dickinson once wrote, “Much madness is divinest Sense/ To a discerning Eye.” In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the main character, Prince Hamlet, shows apparent madness which proves to serve an important role throughout the story. This erratic behavior consists of his seemingly senseless dialogues, his loss of care for Ophelia, and his increasingly aggressive nature. Such behavior often proves justified by the play’s audience due to its convincing nature despite Hamlet’s predisposition towards insanity.

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1392 Words | 6 Pages

While he did claim to be putting on act and only pretending to be psychotic, part of me strongly believes that someone of 100% mental stability would not be able to pull off a psychotic act without a little mental illness helping lead the charge. I feel it is only fair to diagnose Hamlet with Bipolar Disorder. Online health blog, WebMD, defines Bipolar Disorder as a mental illness that brings severe high and

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505 Words | 3 Pages

He went through a tragedy. Hamlet is just traumatized from his father's death but he is not insane. Hamlet was the prince of Denmark. He was very intelligent and wealthy. You could tell by the way he spoke.

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1457 Words | 6 Pages

Contrasting his attitudes with the moments that the king walks in, his behavior towards Polonius while the play is preparing, and his actions to Ophelia during the play, Hamlet is sporadic, when alone with Horatio, he is calm and collected, then again the sudden resumption to his “antic disposition” when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter. There is a long break in which we don’t sense any insanity from Hamlet, this is due to the fact that he has no need to assume his disguise. When we find Hamlet with the players, he is giving them directions for the play. With the players, Hamlet acts normal and of sound mind because the players are not likely to betray him, they don’t have the opportunity or the wish to do so.

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1614 Words | 7 Pages

It was told to everyone that old king Hamlet was killed by a mysterious poisonous snake while he was asleep. When mindful Hamlet found out about his father's death, he could've easily become depressed. While being depressed he could've been mentally ill and needed support from his family members to keep him calm. He never got the attention he wanted to get which was probably the main cause of Hamlet being insane. Hamlet was in a stage where he needs to get love and attention and he never got that.

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A Midsummer Nights Dream “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” – William Shakespeare Shakespeare showed his message through comedy by saying that love can be diverse. By the play having different characters fall in love with the totally opposite people that they were meant to, the story can be quite humorous. Like when Demetrious fell in love with Helena after liking Hermia for so long and for hating Helena so much. Everybody had a plan in the story, they all knew who they wanted to marry, but it all changed and became quite humorous when all the sudden the plot of the story changed and Theseus and Hyppolita’s wedding day wasn’t the main story anymore.

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1544 Words | 7 Pages

He uses his deception of madness to make this sound like mad ramblings to everyone else, but he is truly asking these questions and wondering about the ins and outs of how life truly works, and what it all means. So Hamlet basically acts insane to cover up the seriousness of these questions he is seeking the answers to. “But in a fiction, in a dream of passion,/Could force his soul so to his own conceit,/That from her working all his visage wann’d,/ Tears in his eyes, distraction in’s aspect,/ A broken voice, and his

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1153 Words | 5 Pages

He is depressed and suicidal as indicated in his infamous quote, “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” (3.1.57). However, while many may choose to carry on after the death of a loved one, Hamlet chose to hold on to his sorrow and pretended to be mad so he can know the truth behind his father’s death. Hamlet’s tragic life is not the cause for his madness. Hamlet drives himself to the brink of insanity

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1533 Words | 7 Pages

Hamlet’s depression inhibits his obsession for vengeance due to his inability to take action. Hamlet has suffered emotional trauma and often uses sarcasm to mask his pain. He pokes fun at the situations he’s faced with

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542 Words | 3 Pages

In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses many references to sanity and insanity. Throughout the play, Hamlet goes back and forth between sanity and insanity, whether pretending to be insane just to mess with those he does not like or to save himself from getting in trouble. Hamlet is actually one of the smartest characters in the play, which is why he can pull off acting crazy so well. Shakespeare uses this idea of sanity and insanity to help the plot change and take a different directions. One of the most discussed topics of the Hamlet is whether Hamlet is insane or if he was just pretending the whole time.

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1018 Words | 5 Pages

“Hamlet”: the development of insanity of the main character Hamlet is the protagonist of the play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (or simply Hamlet) written by William Shakespeare. The man finds out his father was killed by own brother, who wanted to take the throne. Hamlet decided to take vengeance on for the former king. His actions led to the death of all main characters, including the prince himself. During the play readers can see changes in Hamlet’s behavior.

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1004 Words | 5 Pages

Insanity is an idea that has been examined for a long time in numerous mediums such as films, music, plays, and even works of literature. William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is no exception to that rule. Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most complex characters, and many scholars have been debating for centuries whether or not Hamlet is truly insane, or whether there is a particular reason for his odd behavior. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet merely pretends to be mad but in reality is sane.

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767 Words | 4 Pages

It is obvious that Hamlet had a troubled mind in the play because he was torn on what to do in order to avenge his father’s death. He was torn between whether he was following his father’s wish or the wish of the ghost that appeared to him. This made him insane because, he spent his time worrying about his father’s death revenge and this affected his state of mind. Hamlet became insane because

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